Celeste (2018)

I usually don't like insanely hard games, I enjoy reasonably difficult platformers, but if I'm going to memorize a series of precision movements, I'd usually rather just practice guitar (just a personal thing). But Celeste does so much so well and the fact that each screen is more or less self-contained it makes it very gratifying and digestible.

176 Berries and 8 C-Sides down. Honestly beating level 7s B-side was in the top 10 proudest of myself moments for video games. Very hard, very satisfying.

Update: beating 7Cs last screen is top 1 or 2 proudest moments for video games. Had to break it down to one bit of progress a day and just take my time. I legit thought it was impossible but finally managed it and I was so ecstatic.

Currently working on Farewell. Holy crap this is painful

Final Update: Got the moonberry! This is my video game crowning achievement! I'm beyond ecstatic. 9830 deaths on level 9, so if you think you're bad, know that I'm probably worse but finally made it through!

It is difficult to deny that my experience with Celeste fell short of the expectations I had because of the excellent reputation of the game. On the other hand, I can understand where the appeal is. I don't know if it was just a case of being the right game at the wrong time, or if, in fact, it's not a game for me.

The point where Celeste undeniably got me was in the narrative elements. I really liked the resources they used to present Madeline and her conflicts. In addition, the game is beautiful and the soundtrack is extremely pleasant.

With the gameplay, however, I had some issues. Don't get me wrong, the controls are tight and well planned, and I always give points for customizable key bindings, but the design of some stages bothered me a lot and made the game a little frustrating at times. Adding this to the fact that Celeste is a difficult game, there were many times when I lost my temper and chose to end a session earlier than usual. As I said, it may just be a matter of not being in the right mood for this, because despite the problems in some levels, several others impressed me, and in general I have enormous respect for the game and its developers.

It won't appear among my favorites, but it's an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a challenging platformer with a very emotional narrative.

What a great game. The platforming is top notch and feels really great. This combined with the quick respawn means you can really work on timing and chaining your techniques. The game gives you lots of opportunities to test your skills with the optional strawberries allowing you to pick and choose what challenges you want here.

My two main gripes are the story and the bosses. I like the premise but was not a fan of the bad guys they introduced. Just weird and confusing (though I am early on so maybe they get more interesting). The Bosses were the weakest point for me because they lasted waaaay too long. Any drama from fighting them was lost after the 6th screen and the 50th death.

However, major props to an assist system that lets you turn on invincibility or increased stamina to help you get through. I would have stopped playing sooner if not for that.

A beautiful and amazing, yet frustrating experience. Just like life!

There's a few things I don't usually expect from difficult platformers and one of them is a lovely cast of characters that you care about and truly want to succeed their goal.

Not only does Celeste have some solid gameplay that'll make your teeth occasionally grind with frustration, but it's got collectibles for the achievers, some solid puzzles build into the level design and story and music to fit it all. Despite the game also being deceivingly lengthy, then I never really reached a point where I was getting bored, due to the constant but not shocking or disturbing mix up in gameplay variety.

Celeste wants to tell you, that life is hard and conquering your inner demons and personal goals is just as hard. And it succeeds with flying colors!

Wow, this game can be BRUTAL. The quick respawn does wonders for this game. I never feel nervous to try a different method to get past an obstacle, for fear of being respawn at the beginning of the level or getting a game over. I also LOVE the interactive cutscene where you are experiencing the protagonist (minor spoiler maybe?) having a panic attack. As someone who has experienced this before many times, it's a pretty accurate replication of the feeling.

Excited to play more, but don't want to finish it too early!

I decided to see how hard it would be to build a recommendation engine today after I did some of the spam stuff and data cleanup. I'm starting simple by just looking at 1 game, and then generating a list of 10 games based on that game. For this game, it generated the following:

• Super Mario Odyssey
• Portal
• Inside
• Super Mario World
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Ori and the Blind Forest
• Fez
• Super Mario 64
• Cuphead
• Shovel Knight

That's not a bad start.

Just Finished Playing.

Like Super Meat Boy this is a fast paced precision platformer, which I was kind of expecting. What I wasn't expecting was an amazing story with great writing. It doesn't tackle anything new but does it with such class and integrates the gameplay with the narrative in such a seamless way.

I completed just the main story and feel like I am going to attempt the extras but for now I am going to take a break.

An early GOTY candidate for me.